Justice Department says it will not conduct probe into NY nursing home deaths during pandemic

The Justice Department says it will not be conducting a civil rights probe into New York’s nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
A letter was sent to several Republican members of Congress on Friday with the news.
More than 15,800 people died in New York nursing homes and assisted living facilities during the pandemic.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been under fire for allegedly manipulating and underreporting the numbers related to nursing home deaths by nearly 50%.
A January report from State Attorney General Letitia James says that Cuomo’s decision to bar nursing homes from refusing to admit patients solely on the basis of a suspected COVID-19 diagnosis “may have put residents at increased risk of harm in some facilities.”
In February, one of the governor’s top aids admitted that the administration attempted to delay the release of the data over fear of a federal inquiring from the Justice Department.
News 12 reached out to the governor’s office for a statement but have not heard back.